Bow guide



Oct. 22, 1963 J. M. LA PORTE BOW IDE Filed July 51 1961 United States Patent greases EQW GUEDE loseph La Porte, 7632 Sturgess Ave, Apt. A, La 1 res-a, aiii2 Early 31, 196i, Ser. No. 129,205 4 Claims. (Cl. 84*- 33) The present invention relates to a bow guide for a stringed musical instrument such as a violin or viola.

The bow guide of the present invention includes a horizontally extending section, a vertically extending bow guide section and at least three legs. Each of the legs is provided with a horizontally extendmg face portion; each of a pair of these face portions is adapted to engage one side surface of the free end of a fingerboard, and the face portion of the third leg, is adapted to engage the opposite side surface of the free end of the fingerboard. In the embodiment illustrated, the horizontally extending faces of two of the legs engage the top surface of the fingerboard and the horizontally extending surface or" the third and intermediate leg engages the bottom side of the fingerboard. Each of the pair of legs provides a vertically extending stop which engages the end of the fingerboard to limit the movement of the guide section toward the free end of the fingerboard.

For the sake of clarity of description, the vertically extending bow guide section is herein referred to as the front of the bow guide, and the legs are referred to as extending downwardly and rearwardly toward the free end of the fingerboard. Since these legs extend rearwardly and extend above the strings of the instrument, the hair of the bow can spread rearwardly below the guide.

All sections of the bow guide of the present invention are formed integrally of a material which is flexible, such as a suitable plastic.

Other features and the advantages of the present invention will be apparent fnom the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a violin, showing the present bow guide attached thereto:

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the bow guide, but on a larger scale than that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the bow guide shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan View of the bow guide; and

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the bow guide.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the bow guide is indicated at 10, and includes a slightly bowed horizontally extending section 12;, a vertically extending bow guide section ill, and three legs l3, l4 and 15. The legs 13 and 14 project downwardly and rearwardly from opposite edges of the horizontally extending section 1.2. The leg 15 is interposed between the legs 13 and and also extends downwardly and rearwardly from the horizontally extending section 312. in the embodiment illustrated, each of the legs is provided with a rearwardly extending horizontal portion, providing surraces, such as surface 116, for frictionally engaging the surfaces of the free end of the fingerboard. In the illustration of one form of the invention, the center leg 15 extends between and below the spaced legs '13 and 14. The top surface of this horizontally extending portion of leg 15 is adapted to engage the under side of [the free end of the fingerboard, and the under side surfaces of the horizontally extending portions of the legs 13 and M are adapted to engage the top side of the free end of the fingerboard.

The bottom portions of the legs 13 and M are provided with abutments which provide stops wh h are adapted to engage the free end of the fingerboard for locating the bow guide it on the fingerboard.

As is more clearly shown in FIG. 3, the front portions of three legs angle downwardly and rearwardly, whereby the bow guide section is elevated a suitable distance above the strings of the violin, and also, since the legs extend rearwardly, they provide for permitting the spreading of the hair of the bow rearwardly so that there is no binding of the hair with any part of the bow guide.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described, constitutes preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms mcy be adopted falling within the scope of the claims that follow.

l claim:

:1. A bow guide, comprising in combination:

(A) A horizontally extending section having front and rear edges;

(B) a bow guide section formed integrally with and extending upwardly from the front edge of said horizontally extending section;

(C) a pair of flexible legs formed integrally with and extending downwardly and rearwardly from said horizontally extending section,

(1) said legs being spaced from one another and each having a horizontally extending surface portion below and rearward of the first mentioned horizontally extending section and providing means for engagement with one side surface of the end of a violin fingerbroad,

-(D) a third flexible leg formed integrally with and extending downwardly and rearwardly from said horizontally extending section and disposed between said pair of legs,

(2) said third leg having a horizontally extending surface portion disposed in a different horizontal plane than the horizontal surfaces of the pair of legs, said horizontal surface being disposed below and rearwardly of the first n1entioncd horizontally extending surface and providing means for engagement with the opposite side surface of the end of said fingerboard,

(3) each or" said pair of legs having a vertically extending stop portion lying a plane disposed rearwardly of and below the upwardly extending bow guide section and providing means for engagement with the said end of the fingerboard.

12. A bow guide as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the bow guide is formed or" flexible material.

3. A bow guide as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the horizontally extending surface. portion of the third mentioned leg, lies below the horizontally extending surface portions of the pairs of legs.

4. A bow guide as defined in claim 3, characterized in that the bow guide is formed of flexible material.

References (lited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,192,030 Ashley July 25, 1916 1,228,949 Mollenhauer June 5, 1917 1,788,760 Battams Jan. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 192,800 Germany Dec. 21, 1907 519,204 Germany Feb. 5, 1931 

1. A BOW GUIDE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SECTION HAVING FRONT AND REAR EDGES; (B) A BOW GUIDE SECTION FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SECTION; (C) A PAIR OF FLEXIBLE LEGS FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SECTION, (1) SAID LEGS BEING SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND EACH HAVING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SURFACE MENTIONED TION BELOW AND REARWARD OF THE FIRST MENTIONED HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SECTION AND PROVIDING MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE SIDE SURFACE OF THE END OF A VIOLIN FINGERBROAD, (D) A THIRD FLEXIBLE LEG FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SECTION AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF LEGS, (2) SAID THIRD LEG HAVING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SURFACE PORTION DISPOSED IN A DIFFERENT HORIZONTAL PLANE THAN THE HORIZONTAL SURFACE BEING THE PAIR OF LEGS, SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACE BEING DISPOSED BELOW AND REARWARDLY OF THE FIRST MENTIONED HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SURFACE AND PROVIDING MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OPPOSITE SIDE SURFACE OF THE END OF SAID FINGERBOARD, (3) EACH OF SAID PAIR OF LEGS HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING STOP PORTION LYING IN A PLANE DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF AND BELOW THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING BOW GUIDE SECTION AND PROVIDING MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAID END OF THE FINGERBOARD. 